Abstract: In a device according to the invention for the automatic charging of processing stations (1) with printing cylinders (9) a number of charging stations (2) is provided, each being designed as input location for entering the printing cylinder (9) into the device, as storing location for storing the printing cylinder (9) before and after processing, and as output location for delivering the printing cylinder (9) from the device after processing. The printing cylinders (9) may each be supplied to the processing station (1) by means of a crane (3) without being required that the operator must wait at the device until the crane has terminated its operation.

Abstract: The holding device for hollow-cylinder printing formes comprises two adaptor rings (4) which are pressed into the free ends of the hollow cylinder (1) so as to form a seal and which are held under these circumstances in a latched condition by a spring-preloaded latch mechanism (5, 6). Because of the centred adaptor rings (4) a bulky and expensive mounting by means of plug-in spindle cone pieces and pressure pieces is unnecessary.

Abstract: The method and the device for automatically determining the geometrical dimensions of printing cylinders to be fed to a treatment process is based on the idea of attaching, to a crane installation (1, 10) provided for the cylinder conveyance, an on-off photocell control device (4) which can be lowered vertically and whose vertical displacement distance is determined as count value. As soon as the on-off photocell control device path is interrupted by the printing cylinder (Z) presented, a second counter runs which is stopped again as soon as the on-off photocell control device is cleared again when the lower horizontal tangent to the cylinder casing is reached. From the relationship of the total distance traversed by the on-off photocell control device and the second count value, which specifies the masking-out of the on-off photocell control device by the printing cylinder, not only the precise diameter of the cylinder (Z), but also the position of the cylinder axis can be determined.